Chapter 8: Quiet (Song by Unfinished Thought)
Xoe woke up the next morning. She could feel Brad watching her closely. Xoe brushed her coarse blue hair up and brushed off her infinitely severed blue dress. She then walked out of her tiny apartment into the outside.
::So What If I Find A Different Way
::To Face The Day?::
Xoe's cellphone rang. She answered, "Hello, this is Xoe."
"How are you this morning, Xoe?" Brad inquired.
"Um... I'm fine. And you?"
"Still needing you and your sanity."
"That's nice... Look, I gotta go..."
"I know where you're going. You're going away so you won't have to talk to me anymore."
Xoe hung up the phone. "Thanks, but no thanks."
::To Hear You Say::
::You're Wrong::
::But I'm Right::
::It's My Song::
Xoe could feel Brad all around her. She could not stop feeling him breathe on her. Xoe continued chatting with the voices in order to forget him, but they were not helping.
We're not massage therapists.
We can't MAKE you feel better.
We can help you feel better though.
We're also not a rescue squad.
We can't pop out of your ears and fight off this guy.
You're going to have to kill him.
We don't care what he says.
KILL HIM.
"Don't worry, I will eventually..." Xoe sighed.
No, NOW.
KILL HIM.
NOW.
KILL HIM NOW.
"You're not helping..."
::I'm Running::
::I'm Flooding::
Xoe continued walking down the streets of town. She still could hear the voices complaining and Brad's laughter. She could also hear the voice of Ben telling her he would never leave, and then she could hear the gunshots. Xoe could hear Marie's screams and Josh's pleas. She could hear Charlie, Anna, and Jackie's painful screams, too. Xoe could see the look on Jack's face when Jeff pushed him over the bridge into the river. Xoe could see the surprised looks on the gang's faces and the look on Jeff's face when she accused him incorrectly. Xoe remembered the blank expression on Roxie's face.
"What have I done?" Xoe whispered.
You've almost achieved your dream.
You just need to keep with it.
Kill more.
Live longer.
Don't doubt us now.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Xoe screamed as she racked her head against a parked car's hood. "GO AWAY!"
We're still here, and that Brad guy is still watching.
He seems to enjoy watching you hurt yourself over us and himself.
He's over on the other side of the sidewalk in a trench coat laughing at you.
You're so pitiful and wretched, Xoe.
You need to meditate.
We know we're annoying you and torturing you, but that's our purpose.
Especially if you're schizophrenic.
Xoe kept racking her head against the car.
::From The Faces::
::That Won't Try To Fight::
::From The Places::
::That Hide In The Night::
If you stop, you'll certainly drown in your own glory.
If you ever stop, you'll kill yourself ever so slowly.
If you decide not to listen to us, everything will go downhill.
If you decide to stop killing, you're going to get caught and killed.
You don't want that, do you?
Do you?
You don't want to ditch us, do you?
Do you?
"Sorry, but yes." Xoe paced around in a circle.
::I'm Stopping::
::I'm Drowning::
Xoe's cellphone rang again. She answered it and whispered, "What do you want, Brad?"
"Oh," Brad remarked, "I just want you and your sanity. If this sounds any better, I know which way you should go with this."
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO GO! YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THEM YET!"
"Well, if you give me yourself and your sanity, I can help you."
"YOU'LL HAVE TO GET IT YOURSELF, FUCKER!" Xoe screamed into the phone.
"Alright, I'm coming." He then hung up.
::How Are You To Know::
::Which Way To Go?::
::When You Haven't Heard::
::The Subduing Cries::
::In My Head::
Xoe glanced around. She could feel Brad walking up to her ready to grab her and take her away. Xoe hugged herself tightly as she glanced around for him. She could not see him, but Xoe knew he was coming.
Right when she knew exactly where Brad was, Xoe took off and ran down the street. She could feel him running lightly behind her. Xoe could feel his laughter move her and his grin scare her.
::I Know This Has Been Said::
::But I'm Not Dead Yet::
Don't stop, Xoe!
You'll never be able to stop now.
You shouldn't have said what you said.
Now he's going to take you away with him.
"SHUT UP!" Xoe screamed as she raced.
"Oh, Miss Xoe Revie!" Brad yelled after her. "Come back here!"
"NO!" Xoe screamed.
"You can't go to the police!"
"NO!"
"They'll take you away to jail!"
"NO!"
"They won't protect you anymore than yourself!"
"SHUT UP!"
::I'm Running::
::I'm Flooding::
Xoe continued running as fast as she could. She knew she could not run much longer. Xoe thought to the voices, Dear Voices, what do I do now?
Run and die or kill and live.
Yes, that's the perfect key to unlock your destiny.
Courage and carefulness is the key. Use it to unlock all of those doors that keep you away from your foremost goal.
::From The Faces::
::That Won't Try To Fight::
::From The Places::
::That Hide In The Night::
Xoe stopped and grasped onto a rail of a bridge. She felt Brad come up behind her and whisper, "Oh, Xoe! I'm here now!"
"Go...away...," Xoe panted.
Brad grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. Xoe screamed, "PUT ME DOWN, YOU FUCKER!" He began to walk down the street to a black car. Brad walked to the back and threw her down on the ground. He opened up the trunk and picked her up.
"LET ME GO!" Xoe screamed screechingly.
"Hey, mister!" a hamster said that was passing by.
"You can't do that!" another one shouted.
"Let her go!" once again another hamster yelled.
Xoe managed to wrench her knife out of her belt. She slashed it down upon Brad's face. He yelled out in pain as he dropped her onto the ground. Xoe jumped up and steadied herself. A group of hamsters surrounded them to watch what was happening.
"Go away! I don't have what you want!" Xoe shouted at him as she pointed her knife at him.
Blood was pouring down Brad's face. He reached out to grasp onto her, but hamsters kept him away from her. Xoe put away her knife. She then ran down the street away from them.
::I'm Stopping::
::I'm Drowning::
"Dear Voices, I've failed," she whispered after she locked the door and made it securely shut. It now could not be opened from the outside.
You haven't exactly failed us...
You still have yourself to blame...
You still have your sanity to blame...
Don't let that Brad guy get to you.
Xoe glanced around her apartment. "I've gotta get out of here. That's the only way I can survive. To start over..."